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Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Bib With Sleeves Tutorial

This sartorial defensive is ready for a battle of gastronomic proportions.

As soon as Zaika was introduced to solids and started feeding herself, it became very clear that her extensive bib collection was insufficient for the demands of the multi-colour food assault. The end of every meal necessitated a complete change of clothing, and with dropping temperatures that meant several layers flying straight into the washing machine. And so the trees cried and needed extra hugging.

Plum puree up to the armpits

This simply would could not do no longer, and I doodled a pattern for a long sleeve bib. I altered a decades old pattern that my mother in law kindly lent me and found some old clothing and towels to upcycle into the bibs.

The sizing is for an 8kg baby.

For this project you will need:

an old towel or some other absorbent fabric for the backing, about A3 size

easy-wash, no too absorbent fashion fabric, about A3 size

water resistant fabric, e.g from a raincoat, about 0.5m

bias binding, about 0.5m

domes or some other fastener, such as a button

elastic, about 0.3m

1. Cut out the fabric pieces.

2 sleeves, 1 front, 1 back

2. Make the bib body. With right sides together sew the towelling to the fashion fabric.

Do not sew across the sleeve gaps.

Clip and trim the seam allowance

Turn right way out and press thoroughly

Top stitch around the whole perimeter

Press again after top stitching

4. Sew the sleeves

Don't mix up the left and right!

Machine stitch or overlock the sleeve seams

5. Make the elastic casing.

Turn under once and stitch all the way around.

Turn under again (leave enough room for the width of the elastic) and stitch nearly all the way around. Back stitch at both ends. Leave a 1cm gap to insert the elastic.

Secure the ends of the seam and press.

Insert the elastic

Overlap the elastic ends by about 1cm and sew together

6. With right sides together attach the sleeves to the bib body

7. Use the bias binding to finish the raw edge of the sleeve. This is a pain in the arse fiddly process because of the tight curves. If you hate doing this as much as I do, you may want to face the sleeves instead.

8. Stay stitch/top stitch the raglan seams sewing across the binding to secure it better.